Want To Do Something Big? Start Small and Expect A Lot of Failure

It’s easy to get down on ourselves when things don’t go our way. I hope this post brings some encouragement to my readers (and to myself).

I’ve set many goals for myself. Some I’ve given up on and some I’ve been able to achieve, just a little late.

Here are some goals I’ve set recently and the results:

• Achieve a net worth of $1M by the end of 2020. FAIL. However, a year later, we were able to surpass $1M in April 2021 (Net Worth Update #62: April 2021). SUCCESS, but late. It took 62 months from when I first set the goal.
• Qualify for the Boston Marathon by 2020. FAIL. However, I ran a marathon in Hawaii, finished with an 8 minute PR (3:31 in 2020, 3:39 back in 2002), and got in the best shape of my life (Revel Kulia Marathon Race Report). IMPROVEMENT.
• Run a mile in under 5 minutes. FAIL. I gave up on this one pretty quickly. Sometimes, life hits you hard. I entered the busiest season of my life in real estate and used the income from that busy period to pay off our mortgage. I did improve my mile time for 5 months though. PROGRESS.
• Join the 1,000 lb club (weightlifting). FAIL. For a few months, I was super disciplined and got up to 915 lbs (sum of squat, deadlift, and bench). I injured my hand somehow and stopped pursuing this goal. IMPROVEMENT

There are a bunch of other small goals I set. These were just a few examples.

Here’s a quote I wrote in one of my first blog posts back in 2016:

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” -Zig Ziglar

I think it’s important to have a vision or purpose of where we want to end up in life or the direction you want to go in. I think it’s important to set goals, but more importantly, to create systems to achieve those goals. A great book I’d recommend is Atomic Habits by James Clear. From what I remember, he isn’t a fan of goals, but rather, systems designed to make it easier for us to achieve those goals.

I think the most important thing for us to do is to get started with whatever it is we want to do. I like the following quote:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Chinese proverb

Now, this is probably just a paraphrased translation of the proverb since they don’t use “miles” in China, but you get the point. We just have to start small and start somewhere.

I actually started with a negative net worth in 2007 when I graduated from college. It took me around 14 years to achieve a net worth of over $1M. Once I focused on the goal and tracked it periodically (with monthly blog posts) in 2016, it accelerated my progress. I also had accountability (my few loyal readers!), and I didn’t want to let them down. The progress was so slow, and 62 months felt like forever, but we finally got there. I just had to break it down and patiently and persistently work toward the goal.

For my marathon goal, I set a pretty ambitious goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I didn’t get there, but I made progress in the right direction. I had run a 3:39 when I was in high school back in 2002. I ran a new personal record (PR) at the age of 34 with a 3:31. Each year, I’ve been gaining weight and losing my fitness little by little. I took a small step to try to turn this around. I’m back on the wrong path again, though…

I saw the following list of failures of a famous person in a book I’ve been reading (The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller), and it illustrated to me the importance of mindset and persistence:

• 1832 Failed in business – bankruptcy
• 1832 Defeated for legislature
• 1834 Failed in business – bankruptcy
• 1835 Fiancée died
• 1836 Nervous breakdown
• 1838 Defeated in election
• 1843 Defeated for U.S. Congress
• 1848 Defeated for U.S. Congress
• 1855 Defeated for U.S. Senate
• 1856 Defeated for Vice President
• 1858 Defeated for U.S. Senate
• 1860 Elected President of the United States of America

Abraham Lincoln is well known for his successes in navigating our country through one of the most difficult periods in its history, but how many people knew about his list of failures?

It’s important to remember and acknowledge that the most “successful” people have often faced the most failure and rejection.

This is my second point. Expect a lot of failure and rejection along the way. Keep your head up, and try not to get too discouraged. If one road is blocked, find another path there. Often, it helps to find people to help you along the way.

What are some things you’ve wanted for your life? Here are some of the more common goals people may have and an example of a small step you can take:

• Lose weight. Instead of getting on a crazy plan to exercise every day, start small. Maybe start with 2,000 steps/day or 5,000 steps/day. A 15-20 minute walk outside.
• Eat healthier. Instead of giving up after one bad meal, give yourself a break. If all your meals aren’t healthy, maybe start with 1 or 2 healthier meals/week.
• Earn more money. If you can’t earn more in your current job, why not spend maybe an hour/week thinking about a small side hustle?

Whatever it is, start small and expect a lot of failure along the way. If you keep going in the right direction, I hope you finally get there.